PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1435 PRINTER'S NO. 1943
No. 222 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY STABACK, BEBKO-JONES, CAPPELLI, COY, DeLUCA,
GERGELY, GODSHALL, GRUCELA, HORSEY, JAMES, LAUGHLIN,
LEVDANSKY, LEWIS, McGEEHAN, PETRARCA, PHILLIPS, PISTELLA,
READSHAW, SCRIMENTI, SHANER, SOLOBAY, SURRA, THOMAS, TIGUE,
WALKO, WANSACZ, WASHINGTON, WHEATLEY, YOUNGBLOOD AND GOODMAN,
APRIL 21, 2003
AS AMENDED, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, JUNE 4, 2003
A RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Joint State Government Commission to study the
2 feasibility of transferring the law enforcement functions of
3 both the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania
4 Fish and Boat Commission to a new Bureau of Law Enforcement
5 within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
6 OR OTHER DEPARTMENT. <--
7 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth currently utilizes at least four
8 different types of officers to enforce State laws pertaining to
9 wildlife and natural resources: State park rangers, State forest
10 rangers, wildlife conservation officers and waterways
11 conservation officers; and
12 WHEREAS, The overlapping jurisdictions of these officers begs
13 the question of whether it would make sense to combine these
14 officers under one directorate; therefore be it
15 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
16 State Government Commission to study the feasibility of
17 transferring the law enforcement functions of both the
18 Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
1 Commission to a new Bureau of Law Enforcement within the
2 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources OR ANOTHER <--
3 DEPARTMENT; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That this study address the following questions:
5 (1) How would the budgets of the Pennsylvania Game
6 Commission, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the
7 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), OR <--
8 THE OTHER DEPARTMENT, and the General Fund be affected by
9 consolidating the law enforcement responsibilities under one
10 directorate in DCNR, OR ANOTHER DEPARTMENT? What start-up <--
11 costs would be necessary? How much revenue would the
12 commissions save under this merger?
13 (2) How would the existing work force be merged into the
14 new system? Would retraining of existing personnel be
15 necessary, and if so, how would it be done? What type of
16 training program should be available for new employees?
17 (3) What criteria would be used to determine how
18 officers are stationed around this Commonwealth? How large
19 should each law enforcement district be? How many officers
20 would be needed to adequately cover this Commonwealth? Should
21 deputy enforcement officers be used?
22 (4) How would the new bureau be structured?
23 (5) How would the two commissions communicate with DCNR
24 OR THE OTHER DEPARTMENT regarding their needs and concerns? <--
25 (6) How would law enforcement functions be coordinated
26 between the new bureau and other law enforcement agencies;
27 and be it further
28 RESOLVED, That the report of the Joint State Government
29 Commission be submitted to the House of Representatives by
30 December 31, 2003 MARCH 31, 2004. <--
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